Play along sports game

ABSTRACT

A game that allows fans to play along as their favorite sports teams (or individuals) compete is described. In one embodiment, fans choose to watch a particular sports game, such as a NFL professional football game, and score points themselves as the teams play. For each drive in the football game, fan(s) score points in their play along game based on the results of the drive. In another embodiment, another type of game is selected as the particular underlying game. As a game progresses, fans&#39; point totals change based mainly on actions in the underlying game; thereby keeping fans engaged in the underlying game as it progresses while adding an additional level of play and excitement via the play-along-game. In other embodiments, additional scoring options can be added and the number of fans playing in the play along game can change as the game progresses.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the field of sports games, and moreparticularly, to a system and method for following and playing alongwith sports games.

BACKGROUND

There are many sports games that can be watched on television or via theinterne or listened to over the radio or experienced online. Fans devotemany hours each week to following the games. The fan experience can bepassive, such as simply watching the game on television, or it can bemore active, such as participating in a “fantasy baseball” league thatuses the actions, results and statistics of players in various realgames to determine the outcome of “fantasy games” being played virtuallyby the fans. Although such fantasy games can be active andparticipatory, they often fail to engage fans on a per-play level. Oneof the reasons for this is that such games often do not provide anymeans by which fans can actively make choices or participate as anindividual sports game progresses. Instead, fantasy games often utilizeend-of-game statistics that are computed or determined after all theday's sports games have concluded and then the fantasy game is updated.Furthermore, many fantasy games lack play-by-play involvement andscoring of the fans' games. Therefore, a need exists for a fan-basedgame that allows fans to actively play along with a sports game and befully engaged with each portion of the sports game.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention described and claimed hereinaddress at least some of the foregoing limitations and problems byproviding a game that allows fans to play along as their favorite sportsteams (or individuals) compete. In one embodiment, fans choose to watcha particular sports game, such as a National Football Leagueprofessional football game, and score points themselves as theprofessional teams battle it out on the gridiron. For each drive in thefootball game, fan(s) score points in their play along game based on theresults of the drive. In another embodiment, another type of game isselected as the particular underlying game. As the game progresses, thefans' point totals change based on actions in the underlying game;thereby keeping fans engaged in the underlying game as it progresseswhile adding an additional level of play and excitement via theplay-along-game. In some embodiments, the number of fans playing in theplay along game can be reduced at certain times (such as at the end of aquarter) and additional scoring options can be utilized (such as bonuschips).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aforementioned and other features and objects of the presentinvention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent andthe invention itself will be best understood by reference to thefollowing descriptions of a preferred embodiment and other embodimentstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a play along game in whichfans play a game in combination with a sports game being played byothers;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system for implementinga play along game;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a screen on a mobiledevice displaying a play along game;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computing system usefulin implementations of the described technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following discussion, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention maybe practiced without such specific details. Furthermore, lists and/orexamples are often provided and should be interpreted as exemplary onlyand in no way limiting embodiments to only those examples.

A play along sports game can be employed with various sports gamesincluding, but not limited to, American football, hockey, tennis, rugby,basketball, soccer, baseball, cricket, etc., and including variations ofthe above (e.g., Canadian football). Although a football game iscommonly used herein as an exemplary Sports Game, other sporting gamescan be substituted. Similarly, a football game is made up of plays thatare grouped in drives. If other sporting events are utilized with theplay along game, then other events can constitute plays and drives.

In one embodiment, four fans play along with an American professionalNFL football game. Before the Sports Game begins, the fans are eitherrandomly assigned (by a computing device or other means), orself-select, a starting order of one through four. In anotherembodiment, the play along game can start after the Sports Game begins.Fan 1 chooses from four drive outcome options: touchdown, field goal,turn over (including fourth-down turnover, interception, fumble,take-away and safety), or punt. Fan 2 then selects one of the remainingthree options. Fan 3 then selects one of the two remaining options andFan 4 receives the remaining fourth option.

In one embodiment, the four drive outcome options are worth thefollowing points when they occur: touchdown is worth seven points, fieldgoal is worth three points, turn over is worth 5 points, and punt isworth one point. In other embodiments, other drive outcome options areselected and/or other point values can be assigned.

In the embodiment described above, the fans choose the drive outcomeoptions assigned to them for the given drive of the Sports Game.Alternatively, a computing device or some other method could be used toassign the drive outcome options to each fan automatically, based on arotating, pre-set order; randomly; or based on other criteria. Thefootball Sports Game commences and after the first drive, the fan whohas the drive outcome option that matches the outcome of the drive inthe football game receives the corresponding points. For example, if thefirst drive of the Sports Game results in a touchdown and Fan 1 has thetouchdown drive outcome option, then Fan 1 receives seven points. Beforethe start of the second drive, drive outcome options are once againassigned to the fans (either by fan selection, i.e., Fan 2 selects fromthe available options, followed by Fan 3, Fan 4 and then Fan 1, rotatingeach time another drive is about to begin; or by some other method orautomated means).

In some Sports Games, the outcome of a drive could result in no pointsbeing awarded to a fan in the play along game. For example, if a driveresults in a field goal attempt and the field goal is missed, no pointsare awarded to any fans, even the one holding the field goal driveoutcome option. Alternatively, regardless of whether the field goal ismade or missed, the fan holding the field goal drive outcome option isawarded three points whenever a drive ends with a field goal attempt. Inyet another embodiment, a missed/blocked field goal is treated as a turnover and the fan holding the turn over drive outcome option is awardedpoints. A field goal that is blocked could also be a “bonus chip”situation in still another embodiment (see bonus chips below). It isimportant to note that many additional events can occur in a footballgame without any resulting score being awarded to fans in the play alonggame, for example: the extra point after touchdown, time outs beingtaken by either team, fouls/penalties, etc. In other embodiments, pointscores could be given for any such events.

In one embodiment, the lowest scoring fan is eliminated from the playalong game at halftime. In another embodiment, the two lowest scoringfans are eliminated at halftime (or one after the first quarter and thesecond at halftime). In yet another embodiment, no fans are eliminatedfrom play at half time. If one fan is eliminated, the first fan toselect (or be assigned) a drive outcome option for a given drive canselect (or be assigned) two of the four drive outcome options; with eachof the remaining fans assigned (or chosen by the fan) one of the tworemaining drive outcome options. If two fans are eliminated, each of thetwo remaining fans can select (or be assigned) two of the drive outcomeoptions for any given drive.

If one fan is eliminated at half time, a second fan can be eliminated atthe end of the third quarter. In another embodiment, five fans playalong and one fan is eliminated at the end of each quarter. Theremaining fans can split the drive outcome options as discussed above,or each fan can only receive one drive outcome option for a given drive,regardless of the number of fans playing along with the Sports Game. Ifthe number of fans is more than the number of drive outcome options,additional drive outcome options can be created or more than one fan canbe assigned the same drive outcome option.

In one embodiment, a two-point conversion bonus chip can be employed.The bonus chip is held by a fan and whenever a two-point conversionoccurs, the player holding the chip receives a predetermined number ofbonus points. There are various methods for choosing which fan holds thechip, including: random selection, current low scorer,computer-assigned, the player currently in position four, formulaicassignment, etc. In another embodiment, a kick-return bonus chip can beemployed. As above, various methods can be used for determining whichfan holds the chip, including each fan holding the chip for theirquarter (Fan 1 holds for quarter 1, Fan 2 quarter 2, etc.). The chipprovides a set number of bonus points to the fan who is holding the chipwhen a punt or kickoff is returned for a touchdown by the receiving teamon the same play. Any type of bonus chip option(s) can be utilized inthe play along game or not, as desired; and assignment of the chip(s) tothe fans can be automated, based on preselected criteria, chosen by thefans, rotated, or it can be random.

As another game-enhancement option, other types of bonus chips can beemployed. For example, somewhat rare events like blocked field goalattempts can be assigned a bonus chip and point value. The fan holdingsuch a bonus chip when the rare event occurs in the game would receivethe associated points. These bonus chips can be assigned to a fanrandomly, selected by fans, assigned via one or more formulas, etc. Inanother embodiment, extra scoring opportunities such as bonus chips areassigned to the lowest scoring fan(s) as the game progresses in order togive them a chance to win the play along game.

Holders of bonus chips (the idea of which herein includes any othersimilar means for identifying which fan is assigned which potentialevent) can be rotated based on events occurring (such as at the end ofeach quarter). In one embodiment, bonus chips can be ‘played’ by the fanholding the chip. If this occurs, then the chip is ‘in play’ for a giventime period (e.g., for the current play, drive, quarter, next fiveminutes, etc.). Once a chip is played in such a manner it can bepermanently removed from the game, or it can be brought back in to thegame at some future time. Other variations on the use of bonus chips arecontemplated, including (for example, and not by way of limitation):chance bonus chips, controlled bonus chips, random bonus chips,strategic bonus chips, low scorer(s) bonus chips, etc.

Embodiments of the play along game can include versions which are forfans at different experience levels, for example: beginner,intermediate, advanced, etc. In an embodiment of a beginner level, theassignment of drive outcome options could be automated and no bonuschips used. An intermediate level game could be played with automatedassignments but utilizing bonus chip options. An advanced embodimentcould include manual selection of drive outcome options and advancedbonus chip play.

In order for the fan play along game to not be overly complicated, asimple embodiment can require that if a scoring event occurs in thesports game as part of an interception/fumble/take-away play, then onlythe initial interception/fumble/take-away result is counted as an end ofthe current drive outcome option. In another embodiment, both theinitial interception/fumble/take-away and the scoring event thatoccurred on the same play result in points being awarded to the fans; inthis scenario, two drive outcome options receive points for a givenend-of-drive. If, however, the interception/fumble/take-away onlyresults in a change of possession, the score for a turn-over is givenand a new drive commences. In yet another embodiment, if the driveoutcome options are assigned automatically, a fan could receive pointsfor an interception/fumble/take-away and if a second scoring eventoccurs on the same play (e.g., a touch down), a second set of pointscould be awarded. In this scenario, the second set of points would beawarded not to the fan who held the associated drive outcome optionduring the interception/fumble/take-away, but to the fan who wasautomatically assigned it when the interception/fumble/take-awayoccurred. Because of the speed at which such an event is likely tooccur, automated assignment of drive outcome options would be mostadvantageous in such scenarios (although predetermined assignment couldbe worked out). Furthermore, because of the possibility of interventionand cancellation of game events by the officials, such detailed playrules would best be handled through automated scoring and assignment ofdrive outcome options.

At the end of the sports game, the fan with the highest score is thewinner of the play along game. If the sports game goes into overtime,the play along game can continue as well. For example, if a footballgame goes into overtime, it could be considered just an extension of thefourth quarter. In other embodiments, the play along game ends at theend of regulation play and a new game can be played during overtime.Ties at the end of quarters or at the end of the game (or at other timeperiods) can be settled in various ways. In one embodiment, if two ormore fans are tied for low-score and a fan needs to be removed from thegame, the fans each choose a number and a computing device (or othermeans) randomly selects a number; the fan with the closest number isselected to remain in the game. If fans are tied for highest score, thefan with the chosen number closest to the selected number is regarded asthe winner. Other means for determining a tie-breaker are contemplated,including: having the fans preselect the scores of the teams at the endof each quarter and the player with the guess closest to the actualoutcome is selected, etc.

A play along sports game could be played in a bar, restaurant or otherestablishment. In order to encourage and reward fans, gifts can beassociated with events (such as a free appetizer to the high pointholder at halftime, etc.). Furthermore, betting (by the fans and/orspectators) can be associated with a play along sports game. A number ofscenarios are contemplated.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a play along game 100 inwhich fans play a game in combination with a sports game being played byothers. The processes shown in FIG. 1 include: Selecting a ParticularSports Game 102, Assigning Drive Outcome Options to Fans 104, FansExperiencing Sports Game and Playing Along as a Drive Begins 106, Endingthe Drive 108, Assigning Drive Outcome Option Points to Fans 110,Testing Special Options 112, Determining If the Game Continues 114, andEnding the Game 116.

The process of “Selecting a Particular Sports Game” 102 involves thefans choosing a particular sports game to watch or listen to via atelevision, radio, computer display, mobile device, live, etc. A playalong sports game can be employed with various sports games including,but not limited to, American football, hockey, tennis, rugby,basketball, soccer, baseball, cricket, etc., and including variations ofthe above (e.g., Canadian football, arena football, etc.). Also, anylevel of sports games can be associated with a play along game,including (for example, and not by way of limitation): professional,minor leagues, college, high-school, middle-school, elementary-school,and even youth leagues or informal games unassociated with any league.

In one example, four fans select an American professional NFL footballgame: The Broncos vs. The Raiders with which to play along. If the playalong game is going to be administered via a central game processingdevice (see FIG. 2 and descriptions below), the fans would sign in tothe central game processing device and be assigned a unique group nameas part of process 102.

The process of “Assigning Drive Outcome Options to Fans” 104 can beaccomplished in an automated fashion or it can be done manually. If theformer, a computing device (such as a computer, mobile phone, etc.)randomly assigns possible drive outcome options to the fans. If thelatter, then the fans select the drive outcome options. In anotherembodiment, some predetermined criteria/formula is used by the computingdevice or the fans to assign the drive outcome options. If the“Assigning Drive Outcome Options to Fans” process 104 is to be performedmanually, then the fans self-select a starting order and assign driveoutcome options. Continuing the above example, Fan 1 chooses thetouchdown option. Fan 2 then selects the field goal option. Fan 3 thenselects the turn-over option and Fan 4 receives the remaining puntoption.

The process of “Fans Experiencing Sports Game and Playing Along as aDrive Begins” 106 involves the fans experiencing (e.g., watching and/orlistening to) the Sports Game—in our example, The Broncos vs. TheRaiders football game—and playing along with the Sports Game (forexample, by cheering for their assigned drive outcome option to occur asplay begins).

The process of “Ending the Drive” 108 is two-fold. First, the drive inthe Sports Game itself comes to an end on its own. Then, the play alongsports game recognizes that the drive is over and enters an end-of-drivestate wherein it determines the effect of the outcome of the Sports Gamedrive on the play long game. This process can be handled manually by thefans as well. In one embodiment, the drive ends with a touchdown by theoffense. In another embodiment, this initial drive ends when a pass isintercepted by the defense and they run it back for a touchdown. In thisembodiment, the drive can be considered to end immediately when theinterception occurs (resulting in a turn-over drive outcome optionoccurring) and a second drive begins at the same time, wherein thesecond drive ends with the touchdown by the defense. In this scenario,an automated assignment of drive outcome options would likely proveuseful as there may not be enough time between the interception and thetouchdown for manual assignment of drive outcome options to occur.Alternatively, the initial drive could continue through the conclusionof the down in which the interception occurs, causing the drive outcomeoptions of a turn-over and a touchdown to be awarded.

The process of “Assigning Drive Outcome Option Points to Fans” 110involves determining which fan (or fans) was previously assigned (orself-selected) the drive outcome option(s) that occurred in the SportsGame, determining how many points are appropriate, and then adding thosepoints to the selected fan's (or fans') previous point total(s). In ourexample, suppose the first drive of the Sports Game ends with theBroncos scoring a field goal. The play along sports game determines thatFan 2 has the field goal drive outcome option and looks up theassociated point value, which in this case is three points. Since thisis the first drive of the game, the fans each have a previous pointtotal of zero, so the play along sports game assigns a total of threepoints to Fan 2 while the other fans remain at zero.

The process of “Testing Special Options” 112 can involve a number ofsub-processes, including: determining if a quarter/half has ended andtaking end-of-quarter/end-of-half actions, determining if any bonuschip(s) is/are in play and assigning appropriate points (e.g., two-pointconversion bonus chip, kick return bonus chip, random bonus chip,assigned bonus chip, etc.), etc. Additionally, the process 112 can alsoaccount for multiple drive outcome options occurring in one down andensures they were properly scored in the “Assigning Drive Outcome OptionPoints to Fans” process 110. Thus, process 112 can embody errorchecking, and testing of special occurrences such as officialsinterceding in the underlying Sports Game. In other Sports Games, theprocess of “Testing Special Options” 112 can involve many othersub-processes to account for the variations in the underlying SportsGames.

The process of “Determining if the Game Continues” 114 involvesdetermining if the Sports Game has ended or if another drive is about tocommence. If the former, then the “Ending the Game” 116 process isenacted, if the latter, then the “Assigning Drive Outcome Options toFans” 104 process is enacted and the processes are repeated as above. Aspart of process 114, determination of whether the Sports Game isprogressing into overtime (or any form of extended play) and whether theassociated play along game will be continued should occur. Furthermore,process 114 also encompasses the ability of the play along game to endat any time, regardless of whether the Sports Game has ended or not. Thefans, a game administrator, or some other entity can determine that theplay along game must end and so process 114 then activates the “Endingthe Game” 116 process. In one embodiment, Fan 1 is selected as the gameadministrator and chooses to end the game at half-time by activating anEnd-of-Game option. The process of “Determining if the Game Continues”114 interprets this action and enacts the “Ending the Game” 116 process.

Additionally, the process of “Determining if the Game Continues” 114 caninclude the option of pausing the play along game. When the play alonggame is resumed, process 114 can resume the status of the drive outcomeoptions and fans as they were when the game was paused, or it can enactthe “Assigning Drive Outcome Options to Fans” 104 process and playresumes from a new state. Of course, if the Sports Game has ended whilethe play along game was paused, process 114 can enact the “Ending theGame” 116 process or the Sports Game could have been paused concurrentlywith the play along game and both could resume from the point they wereat when initially paused.

The process of “Ending the Game” 116 involves determining which fan hasthe highest point total and selecting that fan as the winner. If a tiehas resulted, any of a number of tie-breaking processes can be employedto determine the winner (a non-exhaustive list of some examples isdescribed above). Additional end-of-game sub-processes can be enactedincluding awarding the winner a prize, sending game data to a centralrepository, updating rankings, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system for implementinga play along game 200. The system includes at least the followingcomponents: an initiating device 220, a play along game processingdevice 230, and a Sports Game experience 260. Additionally, anadvertising/promotional device 240 and a play-by-play device 250 can beincorporated. If the game processing device 230, theadvertising/promotional device 240 and the play-by-play device 250 arecomputing devices, it may be useful for one or more associated databasedevices to be connected thereto: a first database device 235, a seconddatabase device 245, and a third database device 255, respectively. Itshould be understood that with today's processing devices, one or moredevices and/or components can be incorporated into a single device.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the initiating device 220 can comprise anumber of different devices, including: a telephone 222, a mobile device224, a computing device 226, a laptop/notebook 228, etc. Although notshown in FIG. 2, the initiating device 220 could be as simple as anotepad or scorecard on which the fans keep score manually.

If the initiating device 220 is to be a telephone 222, each fan wouldneed to call in to a central game processing device 230 (such as acomputer server) and enter in their information using either aninteractive voice response system (utilizing either a computer or aperson) or an “option associated with a number” keypad system. In thisway, fans could enter in their name, fan number, game number, groupnumber, password(s), codes, drive selections, bonus chip selections,tie-breaking information, etc.

If the initiating device 220 is to be a mobile device 224, each fancould connect to a central game processing device 230 (such as acomputer server) and enter in their information. Depending on thecapabilities of the mobile device 224, fans could either enterinformation as they would using the telephone 222 as described above, orthey could have a much more interactive, streamlined, and speedyinteraction. For example, a pre-loaded software application could beinstalled on a mobile device 224 allowing a fan to connect to thecentral game processing device 230 and automatically have their name,fan number, password(s), etc. uploaded. Additionally, fans could type ininformation quickly rather than using an interactive voice responsesystem or an “option associated with a number” keypad system. The mobiledevice 224 can be a mobile cellular phone or a dedicated device (madeavailable by a bar, restaurant, or at the live Sports Game itself). Fanscould be assigned to preexisting groups, select their own groups, or beorganized into new groups.

If the functions of the central game processing device 230 weredistributed amongst the initiating device(s) 220, and the initiatingdevice(s) 220 could communicate with one another, then the initiatingdevice(s) 220 would not need to communicate with a central gameprocessing device 230. In another implementation, only one initiatingdevice 220 is used by all the fans.

Given the advances in mobile device technology, the capabilities andinteractions associated with an advanced mobile device 224 can be quitesimilar to a computing device 226 or a laptop/notebook device 228. Ifthe initiating device 220 is to be either a computing device 226 or alaptop/notebook device 228, the fan experience can be significantlyenhanced over a basic telephone 222 or mobile device 224. Eachinitiating device 220 could still connect to a central game processingdevice 230 (such as a computer server). However, once connected, fansusing a computing device 226 or a laptop/notebook device 228 could havean interactive, streamlined, and speedy experience interacting with thegame processing device 230. For example, a pre-loaded softwareapplication could be installed allowing a fan to have their name, fannumber, password(s), etc. uploaded automatically. Additionally, fanscould access the central game processing device 230 using a web browseror similar application, thereby foregoing installation of stand-alonesoftware. Because of the relatively large screen size afforded by eithera computing device 226 or a laptop/notebook device 228, fans couldreceive significantly more information, advertising, promotions, SportsGame information, statistics, etc. than could a fan using either atelephone 222 or a mobile device 224. In fact, some Sports Games arealready made available to computing devices over the Internet and suchcould be incorporated onto the screen of a computing device 226 or alaptop/notebook device 228.

In its simplest embodiment, when the play along game is beingadministered manually, the central game processing device 230 comprisesthe mind(s) of one or more of the fans following the game rules andassigning appropriate points as a result of each drive outcome. Inanother embodiment, the central game processing device 230 comprises acomputing device (possibly with an associated database device 235) thataccepts inputs from the initiating devices 220 as well as play-by-playinformation either entered manually (by the fan(s) or otherwise), orentered automatically through connection with a play-by-play device 250that feeds information in a standardized format about each play to thecentral game processing device 230. If burst data transfer is usedinstead, the play-by-play device 250 can communicate informationconcerning all the plays in a drive or just totaled drive-levelinformation to the central game processing device 230 at the end of eachdrive. In yet another embodiment, the functions of the central gameprocessing device 230 are not centralized at all, but rather aredistributed to each initiating device 220 such that each device canaccomplish the tasks of the central game processing device 230. In suchan embodiment, each initiating device 220 would either allow formanually entering play-by-play or drive-level information or would beable to connect to the play-by-play device 250 to receive theinformation automatically. In another embodiment, a subset of theinitiating devices 220 (including, at a minimum, a single device) couldhandle the functions of the central game processing device 230.

In one embodiment, the central game processing device 230 could compriseor be associated with any of the social networking sites such asFacebook, MySpace, etc. The play along game could be administeredthrough the social networking site(s) so fans could play using thesite(s) as a platform. The sites could also be sources for downloadingany required software.

In its simplest embodiment, when the play along game is beingadministered manually, the play-by-play device 250 comprises the mind(s)of one or more of the fans following the Sports Game and providing theplay-by-play or drive-level information manually to the play along game.In other embodiments, the play-by-play device 250 comprises a computingdevice (possibly with an associated database device 255) that automatesthe processing and communication of play-level and/or drive-levelinformation.

An advertising/promotional device 240 can also be incorporated in thesystem. Such a device can comprise a computing device (possibly with anassociated database device 245) that is configured to serve advertisingand/or promotion information to the central game processing device 230.The advertising/promotional device 240 can communicate directly with theindividual initiating devices 220 (or through the central gameprocessing device 230) so that advertising and/or promotional materialscan be displayed or otherwise communicated by the initiating devices220. In a basic embodiment, an advertising/promotional device 240 cancomprise preprinted information on cards that are used by fans tomanually participate in the play along game.

A Sports Game experience 260 can comprise any medium that communicatesthe necessary information from a Sports Game to the fans. In oneembodiment, the Sports Game experience 260 can be a televisiondisplaying the Sports Game for the fans to watch and/or listen to. Inanother embodiment, the Sports Game experience 260 can be a radioreceiving and playing audio coverage of a Sports Game. In yet anotherembodiment, the Sports Game experience 260 can comprise coverage of aSports Game that is sent over the Internet or another communicationsnetwork, either through a central game processing device 230, directlyto initiating device(s) 220, or via some other computing device. In abasic configuration, the Sports Game experience 260 can comprise theinformation experienced by the fans attending a live Sports Game.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a screen on a mobiledevice displaying a play along game 370. The mobile device 370 comprisesa frame 372 and a screen 373. Displayed on the screen 373 is anexemplary embodiment of a play along game in progress. At the top is atitle bar 374 displaying, in this example, the title “CTD”. Below thetitle bar 374 is a game information bar 375 displaying information aboutthe Sports Game associated with the current play along game; in thisexample, the game information bar 375 is displaying “Team 1 vs. Team 2”.In the center of the display is a header row 376 that serves to explainthe information displayed in the fan info box 377. In this example, theheader row 376 displays “Name Score Option”. The fan info box 377 isused to display information about the current play along game,especially information associated with the fans that are playing. Inthis example, the fan info box 377 shows that the first fan is named“Rick”, he has a score of “8”, and he is currently assigned the“TouchDown” drive outcome option. The remaining fans are named “Eric,James and Eddy” and they have respective scores of “13, 11, and 7” andare assigned respective drive outcome options of “FieldGoal, Punt, andTurn Over”. Near the bottom of the screen 373 is a game info box 379that can be used to display other information about the Sports Gameand/or the play along game as well as advertising or promotionalinformation. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the game info box 379shows the outcome of the last drive “Last Drive=TouchDown” and someadvertising information “<Advertising/Add. Info>”. Also shown in FIG. 3is a bonus chip indicator 378 showing that Eddy holds a two-pointconversion bonus chip. In other embodiments, the components discussedabove could be placed in other configurations or even not shown, and/orother information could be displayed.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computing system 480useful in implementations of the described technology. A general purposecomputer system 480 is capable of executing a computer program productto execute a computer process. Data and program files may be input tothe computer system 480, which reads the files and executes the programstherein. Some of the elements of a general purpose computer system 480are shown in FIG. 4 wherein a processor 481 is shown having aninput/output (I/O) section 482, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 483, anda memory section 484. There may be one or more processors 481, such thatthe processor 481 of the computer system 480 comprises a singlecentral-processing unit 483, or a plurality of processing units,commonly referred to as a parallel processing environment. The computersystem 480 may be a conventional computer, a distributed computer, orany other type of computer. The described technology is optionallyimplemented in software devices loaded in memory 484, stored on aconfigured DVD/CD-ROM/OPTICAL DISC 491 or storage unit 487, and/orcommunicated via a wired or wireless network link 489 on a carriersignal, thereby transforming the computer system 480 in FIG. 5 into aspecial purpose machine for implementing the described operations.

The I/O section 482 is connected to one or more user-interface devices(e.g., a keyboard 486 and a display unit 485), a disk storage unit 487,and a disk drive unit 490. Generally, in contemporary systems, the diskdrive unit 490 is a DVD/CD-ROM/OPTICAL drive unit capable of reading theDVD/CD-ROM/OPTICAL DISC medium 491, which typically contains programsand data 492. Computer program products containing mechanisms toeffectuate the systems and methods in accordance with the describedtechnology may reside in the memory section 484, on a disk storage unit487, or on the DVD/CD-ROM/OPTICAL medium 491 of such a system 480.Alternatively, a disk drive unit 490 may be replaced or supplemented bya floppy drive unit, a tape drive unit, or other storage medium unit.The network adapter 488 is capable of connecting the computer system toa network via the network link 489, through which the computer systemcan receive instructions and data embodied in a carrier wave. Examplesof such systems include SPARC systems offered by Sun Microsystems, Inc.,personal computers offered by Dell Corporation and by othermanufacturers of personal computers, Apple-based computing systems,ARM-based computing systems and other systems running a UNIX-based orother operating system. It should be understood that computing systemsmay also embody devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs),mobile phones, gaming consoles, set top boxes, etc.

When used in a LAN-networking environment, the computer system 480 isconnected (by wired connection or wirelessly) to a local network throughthe network interface or adapter 488, which is one type ofcommunications device. When used in a WAN-networking environment, thecomputer system 480 typically includes a modem, a network adapter, orany other type of communications device for establishing communicationsover the wide area network. In a networked environment, program modulesdepicted relative to the computer system 480 or portions thereof, may bestored in a remote memory storage device. It is appreciated that thenetwork connections shown are exemplary and other means of, and devicesfor, establishing a communications link between the computers may beused.

In accordance with an implementation, software instructions and datadirected toward implementing a play along sports game and otheroperations may reside on disk storage unit 487, disk drive unit 490 orother storage medium units coupled to the system (directly and/orthrough a network interface 488). Said software instructions may also beexecuted by CPU 483.

The embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented aslogical steps in one or more computer systems. The logical operations ofthe present invention are implemented (1) as a sequence ofprocessor-implemented steps executing in one or more computer systemsand/or (2) as interconnected machine or circuit modules within one ormore computer systems. The implementation is a matter of choice,dependent on the performance requirements of the computer systemimplementing the invention. Accordingly, the logical operations makingup the embodiments of the invention described herein may be referred tovariously as processes, operations, steps, objects, or modules.Furthermore, it should be understood that logical operations may beperformed in any order, unless explicitly claimed otherwise or aspecific order is inherently necessitated by the claim language.

The above specification, examples and data provide a description of thestructure and use of exemplary embodiments of the described articles ofmanufacture and methods. It will further be understood from theforegoing description that various modifications and changes may be madein the embodiments of the present invention without departing from itstrue spirit. This description is intended for purposes of illustrationonly and should not be construed in a limiting sense. The scope of thisinvention should be limited only by the language of the followingclaims.

1. A play along game in which a plurality of fans play a secondary gamein combination with a primary sports game being played by others, theplay along game comprising the steps of: (A) selecting a primary sportsgame; (B) assigning drive outcome options to the plurality of fans; (C)the plurality of fans experiencing the primary sports game; (D) theplurality of fans playing along as a drive begins in the primary sportsgame; (E) ending the drive in the primary sports game; (F) assigning aplurality of drive outcome option points to the plurality of fans; (G)testing special options; (H) determining if the primary sports gamecontinues; (I) repeating steps (B) through (I) if required; and (J)ending the game.
 2. The play along game of claim 1 wherein the step ofselecting the primary sports game involves choosing a particular sportsgame for the plurality of fans to experience.
 3. The play along game ofclaim 2 wherein the primary sports game is a game of American football.4. The play along game of claim 3 wherein the drive outcome options thatare assigned to the plurality of fans include at least a touchdown, afield goal, a turn-over, and a punt.
 5. The play along game of claim 4wherein the step of assigning drive outcome option points to theplurality of fans includes determining that at least one drive outcomeoption occurred and assigning at least one point value to the at leastone of the plurality of fans who was assigned the at least one driveoutcome option that occurred.
 6. The play along game of claim 5 whereinthe step of repeating steps (B) through (I) if required involvesrepeating steps (B) through (I) because it has been determined that thegame continues.
 7. The play along game of claim 5 wherein the step ofrepeating steps (B) through (I) if required involves enacting the endingthe game step because it has been determined that the game does notcontinue.
 8. The play along game of claim 1 wherein the play along gameis implemented in a computer program product encoding a computer programfor a computer process that executes on a computer system.
 9. A systemfor implementing a play along game in which a plurality of fans play asecondary game in combination with a primary sports game being played byothers, the system comprising: (A) a means for selecting a primarysports game; (B) a means for assigning drive outcome options to theplurality of fans; (C) a means for the plurality of fans to play alongas a drive begins in the primary sports game; (D) a means fordetermining if the drive in the primary sports game has ended; (E) ameans for assigning a plurality of drive outcome option points to theplurality of fans based on the outcome of the drive; (F) a means fortesting special options; (G) a means for determining if the primarysports game continues; (H) a means for repeating steps (B) through (H)if required; and (I) a means for ending the game.
 10. The system ofclaim 9 wherein the particular sports game is a game of Americanfootball.
 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the drive outcome optionsthat are assigned to the plurality of fans include at least a touchdown,a field goal, a turn-over, and a punt.
 12. The system of claim 11wherein the means for assigning drive outcome option points to theplurality of fans includes determining that at least one drive outcomeoption occurred and assigning at least one point value to the at leastone of the plurality of fans who was assigned the at least one driveoutcome option that occurred.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein themeans for repeating steps (B) through (H) if required involves repeatingsteps (B) through (H) because it has been determined that the gamecontinues.
 14. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for repeatingsteps (B) through (H) if required involves enacting the means for endingthe game because it has been determined that the game does not continue.15. The system of claim 9 further comprising an initiating device and aplay along game processing device.
 16. The system of claim 15 whereinthe initiating device comprises at least one of a telephone, a mobilephone device, a computing device, a laptop computer, a notebookcomputer, and a notepad.
 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the playalong game processing device comprises a computing device that acceptsinput from the initiating device and play-by-play information.
 18. Acomputer program product encoding a computer program for a computerprocess that executes on a computer system implementing a play alonggame in which a plurality of fans play a secondary game in combinationwith a primary sports game being played by others, the computer processcomprising: (A) selecting a primary sports game; (B) assigning driveoutcome options to the plurality of fans; (C) the plurality of fansplaying along as a drive begins in the primary sports game; (D)determining the outcome of the drive after the drive ends in the primarysports game; (E) assigning a plurality of drive outcome option points tothe plurality of fans; (F) testing special options; (G) determining ifthe primary sports game continues; (H) repeating steps (B) through (H)if required; and (I) ending the game.